Griffin Armament Bushwhacker 46 Review: Calming the Big Bores

As more and more states allow for straight-walled rifle rounds for hunting in traditionally shotgun-only areas, we’ve seen an increasing interest in big-bore loads such as the .450 Bushmaster and, more recently, the .350 Legend. Calibers like this pack a punch both in terms of recoil, as well as sound and blast. It was only natural that we’d start seeing more silencers fit for this role, and the latest from Griffin Armament is exactly this. The Bushwhacker 46 plays well with everything mentioned above; it also transforms into a pistol suppressor if needed. What you see on these pages is a production, not a preproduction model.

DESIGN
The 8.25-inch-long tube is turned from 17-4 stainless steel with a black nitride finish, and the baffles are made from 6AL4V titanium. The finish on our example was deep and uniform, which we’ve come to expect from Griffin Armament. The stainless endcap is removable and interchangeable with Griffin’s Paladin line of silencers. It may seem a bit long for some, but keep in mind that this is designed for the likes of .450 Bushmaster.

With increasing modularity on their minds, Griffin Armament jumped on the SilencerCo Omega 1.375×24 threaded-rear-end bandwagon, which means there are mounts and options galore.

The Bushwhacker 46 itself ships with a Griffin Plan-A 1.375 mount included, along with an accompanying 5/8×24 Minimalist 30-caliber brake, as well as a new compatible pistol booster. The Bushwhacker 46 doesn’t come with the piston required for the pistol booster, so you’ll have to purchase that one separately if you want to use the Bushwhacker on a pistol. However, if you already have an appropriate piston by Griffin, SilencerCo, or Rugged, you’ll be all set, as you also will be if you have a Dead Air piston designed for the Odessa (no-go for the rest of the Dead Air pistons).

AT THE RANGE
Our foremost thought was to mount the Bushwhacker 46 on a .350 Legend for a hunting rig. While the silencer is over-bored for that caliber, it almost meant that it kept the gas pressure down on our rig. While OSHA wouldn’t like the sound level, it was a helluva lot better than a simple flash hider on the end. Undoubtedly there would be a few more decibels taken off the high end if we used a Paladin endcap specifically made for .350 Legend (which doesn’t currently exist — hint, hint, Griffin).

There hasn’t been a complete set of testing data made available, and even then there are arguments to be made about how testing should occur. With that said, the initial numbers we were provided matched our subjective impressions at the range — 137dB from a 16-inch 7.62N, 130dB dry from .45ACP pistol, and the loudness level pushing into the upper 130s with a 16-inch 5.56mm.

LOOSE ROUNDS
Like many general-purpose silencers, this one did “alright” as a multi-caliber silencer, but that’s really not what the Bushwacker 46 is for. This is a big-bore suppressor that also plays well with others. If you’re looking for a general-purpose silencer, this one may not be for you, but if you have a use-case for suppressing .450 Bushmaster or .458 SOCOM, you’ll no longer be stuck with something much larger originally designed for calibers like a .50BMG.

Griffin Armament
Bushwhacker 46

Length: 8.2 inches
Weight: 16.3 ounces (rifle configuration), 18.1 ounces (pistol configuration)
MSRP: $999
URL: www.griffinarmament.com

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